The present invention generally relates to an exercise apparatus for working muscles and, more particularly, to a rehabilitative and therapeutic exercise apparatus for working injured, surgically repaired, and healthy muscles, especially the muscle group known as the rotator cuff.
The muscle group known as the rotator cuff is comprised of the subscapularis, teres minor, infraspinatus and supraspinatus muscles. This muscle group starts on the back of the shoulder in the area of the shoulder blade and winds around the shoulder to the insertion on the ball of the shoulder joint. Contraction of this group of muscles results in the internal and external rotation of the upper arm. Over-stressing the rotator cuff during activities such as throwing a baseball or serving in tennis can result in injury thereto.
physical therapeutic measures for rehabilitation of muscle and tendon injuries have been shown to be of great value. Many hospitals are currently setting up sport medicine clinics in response to the increased demand for rehabilitation therapy. However, most equipment currently available for muscle exercise was not designed with rehabilitative therapy in mind. Representative of the muscle working or exercise equipment devised in the prior art are the apparatuses disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. to Lambert, Jr. et al (4,239,210; 4,349,191; and 4,349,193), Baldwin (4,456,245), Bugallo et al (4,563,003), and Jones (4,511,137).
Of the rehabilitative muscle working equipment currently available, the equipment designed for application of rehabilitation therapy to the rotator cuff is extremely limited. Thus, in most cases, free weights are used. The major drawback to free weights is that resistance (load) is dependent on position. In some cases the resistance has been reduced to zero by the time the motion is complete. Exercise machines are an improvement over free weights; however, in the case of rotator cuff, the machines which have been devised, such as Cybex II Isokinetic Exerciser and the machine disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,553,747 to Pursley, are very costly or limited in their versatility.
A thorough exercise program is necessary for patients with damaged muscles of the rotator cuff so that they can resume normal activities. This is especially important for athletes, both amateur and professional, and other extremely active individuals. Unless the rotator cuff is sufficiently strengthened, it is extremely susceptible to reinjury. This can lead to increased pain and loss of mobility.
Because the rotator cuff is a sensitive muscle group to exercise, precise positions and ranges of motion are needed to properly work the muscle group. The currently available equipment fails to provide necessary versatility and precision and, as previously stated, is extremely limited and very expensive. As a consequence, there is a pressing need for a more versatile and cost-effective apparatus designed specifically for working and exercising the rotator cuff in a rehabilitative and therapeutic fashion.